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Medford airport vows smooth soaring Approval for fog landings to be in place by next week By Jessica Smith The forecast for holiday travel looks good at the Medford airport. According to Bern Case, airport director, a paperwork snafu that prevented a number of flights from landing in foggy Medford last week was all but corrected Wednesday. Storms favor skiers over holiday travelers A storm passing through Southern Oregon is bringing with it good news for skiers but not-so-good news for motorists heading east over the mountains. According to meteorologist Ryan Sandler of the Medford Weather Service, the second in a series of fast-moving systems from the Pacific will hit the Rogue Valley today and stay until at least Friday, bringing rain showers to the valley and snow above 5,000 feet. Mount Ashland officials reported two inches of snow fell on the mountain in the morning and another five in the afternoon Wednesday, Sandler said. Just .71 of an inch of rain fell at the Medford airport. Sandler is unsure how much snow will fall on Mount Ashland today, but he estimates it may be several inches. Ski officials had reported a base of between 10 and 15 inches Monday. "There�s hope for them," Sandler said. "They may be able to open soon. You never know." While rain and not snow will fall in the Siskiyous, traveling over the Cascades could be treacherous, Sandler said. The snow level could drop even lower than 5,000 feet today in the eastern part of Oregon, he said, adding that Wednesday snow was falling as fast as one-inch-an-hour near Pendleton. "We�re doing pretty good here," Case said. "I think all of paperwork stuff will be resolved soon." Commercial airlines that serve Medford � Horizon, United and United Express � have been waiting for the Federal Aviation Administration�s OK on new instrument standards that will allow planes to land and take off in fog and other conditions that reduce visibility. A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, who urged the FAA to expedite its review of the new guidelines, said the federal agency authorized the changes Tuesday. The airlines are expected to receive notification by the end of the week, said Jeff Eager, Walden�s press secretary. FAA representatives were unavailable for comment Wednesday. The agency�s public information office in Oklahoma City was apparently closed because of a storm, and workers in Seattle and Los Angeles said they were unable to comment. Yet the agency�s decision brings an end to the airlines� struggle to get special instrument flight procedure charts required by the FAA because of the 2,100-foot runway extension at the airport. Though the runway extension and recent improvements at the airport allow landings in fog, the FAA-approved instrument charts will give Boeing 737s the ability to fly in with 200-foot ceilings and 1,800 feet of linear visibility. Older guidelines called for an 1,800-foot ceiling and 4,500 feet of visibility. "Mother Nature could still close us down, but I don�t think it will be as bad as past years," predicted Case. "We�re better prepared." According to Case, airlines will begin using the new instrument standards before the holiday travel rush starts next week. But while the prognosis for on-time flight departures and arrivals in Medford is expected to improve next week, conditions at larger airports are uncertain. Labor disputes at United, Northwest and Delta airlines may continue to force cancellations and delays in larger markets, industry watchers speculate. United, still working to settle with disgruntled mechanics, alleges an illegal work slowdown led to an average of 58 maintenance-related cancellations daily in November, up from the usual 20 to 24. Similar problems exist at Northwest, which canceled 290 flights in the first week of December. For the same period last year, only 24 flights were shut down over maintenance issues. And at Delta, pilots have refused to fly overtime, creating crew shortages. Cancellations and delays aside, holiday travelers making connecting flights in major hubs such as Denver and San Francisco should expect long lines and lots of down time, industry watchers say. Pack a snack, buy a book, get to the airport early and make sure you have enough time to meet your connecting flight, they suggest. "Just be patient," said Marge Morris, an agent at Burgess Travel in Medford. "This happens every year." Reach reporter Jessica Smith at 776-4481, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.